Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to a powder collecting device to collect powder such as toner and an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a facsimile machine, a printer, or a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having at least two of copying, printing, facsimile transmission, plotting, and scanning capabilities and incorporating the powder collecting device.
Description of the Related Art
There are apparatuses including a powder collecting device to store waste toner flowing through an inlet. In a case of an image forming apparatuses, such as copiers and printers, the powder collecting device is, for example, a waste-toner container removably mounted in the apparatus to collect untransferred toner (residual toner) removed by at least one cleaning device, from at least one image bearer (e.g., a photoconductor or an intermediate transfer belt) after a transfer process. The collected toner (i.e., waste toner) is conveyed through a conveyance passage and stored in the waste-toner container.
The waste-toner container includes a conveying screw disposed below the inlet to move the waste toner away from the inlet and distribute the waste toner throughout the waste-toner container.